War plays itself out on a literal battlefield, but it also makes its way into every aspect of our lives well beyond that—including technological. Here, a soldier explains how a basic technology has changed the way soldiers live.

io9’s comment of the day comes from nod_buggywho shared this note about how cellphones have changed the way warfare is conducted—and how it could be used to change the medical treatment soldiers receive:

I’m an officer in my state’s National Guard. The biggest change in my 10 years that I’ve seen is the increased reliance on cellphones. This is generally only state-side but I saw it creeping into my rotation in Kuwait as well. We don’t have the same old school daily formation and/or regularly checking in with your front line supervisor to let him/her know what you’re up to; now you’ll receive a text or a call if you’re needed. Changes I’d like to see is a stronger push to unified or at least communicating computer systems. For example: Our CONUS medical system doesn’t talk to our OCONUS medical system, and neither talk to the VA medical system. Doesn’t make much sense, but welcome to the Army.